


The Train

by Zephyr0



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Flirting, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:41:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24328186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zephyr0/pseuds/Zephyr0
Summary: It's rush hour, and Arthur's having a bad morning. Luckily, there's an attractive man on the train who seems happy to talk to Arthur.
Relationships: America/England (Hetalia)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 45





	The Train

**Author's Note:**

> Self-indulgent fluff bc I need it rn
> 
> Hope you enjoy reading!

The train crawled into the station.

Arthur's heart leapt into his throat. Seven minutes for the next train. He couldn't afford to miss this one. He raced down the escalator, brushing past the line of people standing on the other side. He burst onto the platform. The train slowed to a halt, windows bathed in bright yellow light. Arthur fought his way through the crowds, apologising, pushing his way to the edge of the platform to the closest door. He got there just in time. The door slid open and a sea of passengers pushed their way off the train. Arthur stood to the side, bent over and panting, doing his best to catch his breath.

He wasted no time leaping onto the train when the last passenger intending to get off at the station disembarked. Arthur squeezed his way to the centre of the train, ending up standing between a blond man listening to too-loud music and a teenage girl with a bulky backpack on her shoulders. He grimaced as the other passengers pressed around him, the carriage stinking of old sweat. Arthur wrinkled his nose and started breathing from his mouth. It wasn't too hard, thankfully, as he was still panting a little. He had run from his car all the way down to the station in hopes of being able to catch this train. He was already late for work and he didn't want to make it any worse by showing up even later. 

The doors let out three short warning chimes. Arthur kept his briefcase pressed against his knees. He scowled at the girl with the massive backpack, wondering why she couldn't keep it under her feet. As the doors finally swung closed, there was a loud slurp right behind Arthur. Arthur looked over his shoulder, his eyes falling on the blond man standing behind him. The man was dressed in jeans and a red hoodie. In one hand, he scrolled through his phone, and in the other, he clutched a chocolate drink from McDonalds. His glasses reflected the phone screen. Almost as if sensing Arthur's gaze, the man looked up from his phone. They made eye contact for a second. Arthur immediately flushed and quickly looked away, realising that the man was rather attractive. Unfortunately, Arthur hadn't caught the man's grin. 

The train lurched away from the platform. Arthur staggered sideways as the train picked up speed, the carriage rolling side to side as it left the station. 

He sighed, wishing he could have some more tea. Tea helped him relax; he could do with a good, strong cuppa right now. Arthur checked his watch, wincing. He should already be at the building by now, but he had to rush back to his house after realising he had forgotten some documents for the meeting with his boss in the afternoon. Already in his mind's eye, he could see Ludwig's disapproving frown. He doubted Ludwig would fire him, but... 

The train gave another violent lurch. "Oof!" someone said as a solid weight bumped into Arthur from behind. 

Arthur spun around, noticing the attractive blond man shifting back from Arthur, yanking out his wireless earphones (Earpods? Was that what they were called?) and giving Arthur an apologetic smile. 

“Sorry, dude," the man said. "Didn't mean to bump into you. You good?" The man's eyes widened. “Holy shit, what’s with those eyebrows?”

A couple heads swivelled in their direction. Arthur’s cheeks flushed and he pouted, crossing his arms. He hated it when others pointed out his eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

The man stared at his eyebrows for a few more seconds, then tipped his head back and laughed. “Nah, don’t worry about it. They look pretty cool.”

Arthur continued glaring at him, his cheeks still flushed. Who did this rude man think he was? He was about to turn back around to ignore him, but the man spoke again.

"Am I in heaven?" The man smirked at him. 

Arthur frowned. "Pardon?"

"Because there's an angel standing right in front of me." The man winked. 

Arthur's frown deepened, and it took him a moment to realise what the man meant. When he did, his face flushed bright red and he coughed and spluttered. "I... _what?"_ he managed to get out. "What are-" 

“I’m Alfred!” The man slipped his phone into his pocket and held out his now-free hand. Almost as if he hadn't used some corny pickup line. “Alfred F. Jones! Great to meet you!”

Arthur sighed, reaching over and slipping his hand into Alfred’s. His face was still red from the pickup line, and he noticed his heart seemed to be beating a little faster—and it had nothing to do with all the running he did. _But o_ _kay,_ he thought. _At least he’s being polite now._ Alfred had a firm handshake, his hand warm and a little bigger than Arthur’s. “Nice to meet you, I suppose,” Arthur said. “My name is Arthur Kirkland.”

“Is it normally like this?” Alfred beckoned to the crowd pressing around them. He grunted when someone accidentally elbowed him in the back, and shifted even closer to Arthur, standing a couple _inches_ away. Alfred smelt a little like coffee, and Arthur was so close he noticed the faint blush spreading across Alfred’s cheeks. Arthur let out a long breath, his mouth going dry at having a really attractive man stand so close.

“Oh… what was the question again?” Arthur asked.

Alfred repeated the question, and Arthur shook his head. “I don’t normally catch the train this late.” Arthur instinctively reached up, adjusting his tie. Alfred had the prettiest blue eyes Artur had ever seen, and when Alfred shot him a happy-go-lucky smile with dimples in his cheeks, Arthur's knees went weak his mind went blank on all thoughts. 

“Really? So what happened this morning?” Alfred slurped his milkshake. 

“Nothing.” Arthur clenched his jaw—he was often too proud to admit it whenever he made a mistake. 

“What time do you normally catch the train?”

“Around six.”

Alfred let out a low whistle. “Damn. What time do you wake up? The crack of dawn?”

“I get up at quarter past five. I hardly doubt that can be considered the crack of dawn.”

“Yeah, it is.” Alfred chuckled. “But that must suck. My morning’s been awesome so far, aside from having to get up, that is. But whatever. I slept in, but that’s not an issue, my boss doesn’t care. I slept through all ten of my alarms, and then I couldn’t find a clean shirt.” He grimaced for a moment, then his expression shifted back into a grin. “I got McDonalds. And it was awesome!” He indicated to the drink. “So it all worked out in the end!”

Arthur frowned. “You eat McDonalds for breakfast?” He screwed up his face, his eyes darting instinctively to Alfred’s figure—which looked relatively lean, like a swimmer’s. The flush returned to Arthur’s cheeks and he forced his gaze away, his mouth going dry again.

“Sure do!” Alfred clapped him on the shoulder, with enough force it almost knocked Arthur over. “How else am I meant to start the morning?”

“Okay, firstly, your phrasing is awkward. It’s ‘how should I start the morning’? Or, if you want to use-”

Alfred laughed. “What are you, an English teacher?”

Arthur pouted. “No. I just hate seeing the English language bastardised by terrible grammar.”

“Aw, c’mon, I’m not bad at English,” Alfred said. “I speak it just fine.”

“Yes, in your dreams, perhaps.”

“What? I’m awake right now.” Alfred tilted his head, then and then he smirked. “But then again, it’s possible I’m dreaming right now, because you-”

The intercom announced the next station, drowning out the rest of Alfred’s words. The train slowed as it pulled into a station.

“Sorry, what were you-” Someone roughly pushed Arthur aside as they marched towards the doors. “Oi! Excuse me!” 

Alfred chuckled. Arthur whirled to face him, giving him a glare.

“You know, you could kill someone with that glare,” Alfred said.

“Shut up,” Arthur said. “What were you saying before?”

Alfred shrugged. “I asked what station you were getting off at.”

Arthur’s eye twitched at the grammar, but he still answered Alfred’s question. As he did, Alfred’s face lit up. “Awesome! That’s my stop, too! So, what are you into? I love space, movies, aliens, video games, archaeology, cheeseburgers, and McDonalds. Oh yeah, also working out, explosions in movies, and other awesome shit.” 

“I see,” Arthur said, unsure how else to respond to Alfred’s word vomit. The man was quite endearing, he realised. Really, Alfred was like an overgrown puppy. “I like reading, embroidery, fantasy, and tea.”

“Embroidery?” Alfred sniggered. “What, you an old man or something?”

Arthur huffed. “Embroidery is a perfectly fine hobby! It’s really relaxing!”

Alfred laughed as the train took off from the station. Someone shoved Alfred straight into Arthur, who immediately sprung back as far as he could (only a couple inches). 

“Anyways, embroidery.” Alfred looked a little flushed, himself. “That’s super cute. Makes you even hotter.” He winked.

Arthur's heart skipped a beat. “That’s… I… you-” 

“Hey, are you seeing anyone?” Alfred’s eyes locked with Arthur’s. He shifted closer, close enough their noses were almost touching—it would be so easy for one of them to kiss the other. Arthur’s eyes instinctively darted to Alfred’s lips, and he felt a sudden desire to kiss Alfred. "I bet you are, though. Hot guy like you, obviously not single."

"I..." The words seemed to catch in Arthur's throat. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, face feeling as if it was on fire. Jesus, people didn't normally flirt with him. Especially attractive men like Alfred. Well, aside from his co-worker, Francis—but Francis didn't count because Francis was the absolute worst person Arthur had ever known. 

“Artie?” Alfred asked, slurping his drink.

That killed the mood. Arthur tried shifting back, but now someone’s bag was in the way. He decided to simply stare over Alfred’s shoulder, refusing to make eye contact with Alfred again. “It’s _Arthur,”_ he said, between gritted teeth. 

“Fine, Arthur.” Alfred shrugged. “So? Are you seeing anyone?”

“No, no, I’m not.” Arthur narrowed his eyes. What was this man up to? Why would he want to know-

“Um. Well, yanno. I was also thinking…” Alfred’s voice trailed off for some reason, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Arthur narrowed his eyes at Alfred’s sudden uncharacteristic quietness, realising the man was blushing again.

“So, are you into guys?” Alfred whispered. 

Arthur nodded, wondering why Alfred was this curious. Did it have something to do with Alfred's abrupt, odd behaviour? The flirting couldn't be genuine, right? 

A victorious grin spread across Alfred’s face, and he whooped. This time, some heads turned in their direction again. Arthur blushed at the sudden attention, his hands balling into fists and telling himself to ignore everyone else.

“Hey, so I was also thinking,” Alfred said. “I’m late for work, so wanna grab coffee after we get off the train?”

Arthur frowned. “I have work.”

“After you finish, then.” Alfred reached for his phone, flashing Arthur another charming smile that made his heart skip a beat. “So, what’s your number?”

“P-pardon?”

“Your number. You sure you aren’t an old man?”

"I can't be much younger than you!" Arthur huffed. 

Alfred gave Arthur another happy-go-lucky smile, making Arthur feel all warm inside. “There’s a Starbucks near my workplace, so we can head there after you finish. How does that sound?”

“You do realise we probably don’t work near each other?”

“I can improvise.” Alfred winked, as the train jerked again.

Arthur flushed, breaking eye contact. He could feel the weight of Alfred’s beautiful blue eyes resting on him, and he swallowed thickly.

“So, what do you say?”

“Well, alright then.” Arthur gave him a polite smile. "I suppose it can't hurt."

Alfred’s eyes widened a little and his cheeks went red. “Yanno, you should smile more often. You look super hot when you smile.”

Arthur spluttered, his own face turning bright red. Alfred laughed at the sight. “I… uh…” Arthur tried looking for words. His mind raced at Alfred's compliment, his heart hammering in his chest. “Thank you, I suppose. For your kind words, I mean. You also have a nice smile.”

“Thanks. I-I mean, I know.” Alfred went red at the compliment, and gave Arthur an awkward thumbs up, as if trying to be suave. “And it’s no problem.” He was quiet for a moment, then winked again. “So. It’s a date, then.”

Date. Arthur’s mouth turned dry and his breath caught on his throat. 

“What time you finish?” Alfred continued.

“Idiot, it’s ‘what time _do_ you finish?’” When Alfred merely rolled his eyes, Arthur sighed and said, “Five.”

“Alright, I’ll come pick you up. Or call an Uber. Whatever. Where exactly do you work?”

Arthur gave him the address and Alfred nodded. “Not too far from where I work, actually. I’ll get there around five-fifteen, how’s that sound?”

“It’s fine,” Arthur said. “Don’t be late.”

“I’m never late for anything.”

“Except this morning?” Arthur raised an eyebrow. 

“Hey, people don’t care if I’m late.”

“If you say so.”

“But I know that? They don’t yell at me or anything.” He paused, then took out his phone and handed it to Arthur. "Here, just write down your number in here."

Arthur took the phone from him, his brow furrowing for a moment, trying to navigate his way around an iPhone. His trusted Blackberry that was at least a decade old still worked perfectly fine. He managed to create a new contact for himself and he paused for a moment, biting his lip, glancing back up at Alfred's hopeful face. Alfred's beautiful eyes, his beautiful smile. The warm feeling returned to Arthur, and a shiver rushed down his spine. It was obvious Alfred was interested in him, but-

"What? You forgot your number, in your old age?" Alfred's smile faded a little, replaced with a look of concern.

Arthur rolled his eyes and harumphed. "You wish." He handed the phone back to Alfred. "You're just lucky you have beautiful blue eyes." 

Alfred flushedat Arthur's comment. "Oh... uh, thanks... you too... I-I mean, your eyes, too, they're not blue." He let out an awkward chuckle. "They're green. Not blue. Uh, what I'm trying to say, is that you have beautiful eyes. Green eyes."

Taking the opportunity, Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Please tell me, am I making you nervous?" He shifted closer, mentally patting himself on the back when he realised Alfred looked even more flushed at their even closer proximity. 

"Of... course not." Alfred scoffed, his voice sounding unconvincing. "I'm just..."

"Just what, love?" 

Arthur sniggered when Alfred looked at his feet, his face bright red. "Uh... did you accent just get stronger?"

"Perhaps." Arthur shrugged, holding Alfred's gaze. "I heard from the Internet that American women like British accents. Was just wondering if it has the same effect on American men, too." Of course, he didn't delve into a rant about the whole accent thing—for starters, there were _multiple_ British accents. 

Alfred was saved when the intercom announced the next station, which was their stop. Arthur gave Alfred one last smirk before he stepped off the train. Alfred scrambled after him, still flushed. The two pushed their way off the train, fighting through the crowds as people hurried past. Luckily, they managed to stay together as they arrived at the escalator. 

“Which do you prefer, cappuccinos or lattes?” Alfred stood on the step above Arthur, twisting his body so he could peer down at him. The flush was gone from his cheeks. 

Arthur scowled. “Neither. I only drink tea.”

Alfred pulled a face. “Seriously? How do you _drink_ that shit?”

“Hey! Tea is a delicious beverage, you uneducated buffoon!”

“How can I be uneducated if I have a degree in computer engineering?” Alfred shook his head. “And ‘sides, you’ve obviously never tasted the awesomeness of coffee beans, if you think tea is actually good!”

The two continued arguing over tea and coffee as they left the station. As they stepped outside, Alfred paused and turned around, smirking at Arthur. 

"Also, to answer your question about the accent thing... maybe?" He raised an eyebrow. 

"I see." Arthur paused for a moment. "You do realise I don't normally call other people 'love', right?" 

"Wh... what are you saying?" Alfred stared at him, flushing again. 

Arthur shrugged. "Just something to ponder." As he turned to walk away, Alfred reached over and grabbed his arm. 

"Hold on, could you please continue calling me that?" He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I mean, 'love'?" 

"Sure, why not? Love."

"So do I get to call you babe, then?"

Arthur sighed. He didn't like babe normally, but there was something about Alfred saying it to him...

"Fine. If you must."

Alfred grinned. "Alright, babe. I'll look forward to seeing your cute face tonight." And then he leaned towards Arthur and kissed him.

Alfred tasted like chocolate milk. The kiss lasted only a few seconds—no tongue—but it still made Arthur shiver and a warm feeling bloomed inside his chest. Alfred stepped back, grinning at him, his eyes shining from behind his glasses.

"So, uh, how was that?" he asked. Before Arthur could reply, he winked. "I'll give you a better one tonight, how does that sound?"

Arthur's mouth turned dry. "Why not now?"

Alfred paused. "That's a good point..." 

Arthur rolled his eyes and pulled Alfred back into another kiss. Alfred pressed him against the wall, and Arthur reached up, running his hands through Alfred's hair. The same warm feeling returned to Arthur's chest, a rush of electricity rushing through his body. 

When they broke apart, they were both a little breathless, their cheeks red. Alfred was grinning again. "So, uh, I'll give you an even _better_ one tonight, then!" And before Arthur could reply, he turned around and took off, vanishing into the crowds that pushed past them.

Arthur rolled his eyes. As he did, he noticed his watch and remembered his job. And that he was really, really late. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I hoped you enjoyed!
> 
> Feel free to comment/kudos/bookmark <3


End file.
